The fear of possible defections has led to Thursday’s decision by the Cuban boxing federation to pull out of this year’s World Boxing Championships.According to a statement by the federation:

“We will not expose a Cuban team again to the excesses and provocations that in this case would occur in Chicago, in U.S. territory, an ideal location for merchants and traffickers to act freely with the complicity of U.S. authorities.”

Earlier this month, Fidel Castro wrote that “Cuba will not sacrifice one bit of honor” by participating in the tournament.His warning came in the aftermath of the eleven-day disappearance of Cuban pugilists Erislandy Lara and Guillermo Rigondeaux (image) during the Pan American Games in July.

The World Boxing Championships serves as a qualifying event for the 2008 Olympics, though Cuban boxers have the chance of being in two other tournaments to qualify for the games.

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez is visiting Colombian counterpart Alvaro Uribe in a bid to broker a peace deal with Colombian guerillas.Despite the doubts by some members of the Colombian government, Chavez expressed hope that something could be worked out:

“‘I ask God that I can contribute in the issue of this humanitarian swap, in the search for peace, a peace for all of us,’ Chavez said after stepping off his plane in Bogota before meetings with Uribe at the president's farm outside of capital.”

“‘The kidnappers say they admire Chavez. They might not obey him, but they do take note,’ (Ingrid) Betancourt's husband, Juan Carlos Lecompte, said. ‘It's the first time I see there could be a small light at the end of the tunnel.’”

Speaking of Mexico and protests, the Teamsters filed a lawsuit on Wednesday to prevent a pilot program allowing Mexican trucks to drive on U.S. highways.The plan- which was supposed to have gone in effect in 1995 under the North American Free Trade Agreement- is expected to start this weekend.

In a testament to the growing power of women and politics in the Americas, the heads of state from Chile and Jamaica reappeared in this year’s edition of the Forbes “100 Most Powerful Women”.Chilean president Michelle Bachelet fell from 17th last year to 27th place while Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller jumped eight spots to the 81st position.

Despite problems with crime and possible corruption, Forbes praised Simpson Miller’s efforts to improve Jamaica’s health care system and the promotion of women in sports. Her office is up for grabs, however, as polls show her party tied with the main opposition party only days before the general election this Monday.

Other women in the Americas are attempting to emulate Bachelet and Simpson Miller by being elected as heads off state.Guatemala’s Rigoberta Menchu is a distant 5th place in the latest polls though her influence could be vital in a likely runoff. Meanwhile, Argentine First Lady Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is the odds-on favorite to succeed her husband.

For the second straight year, German chancellor Angela Merkel heads the list. She is followed by Chinese vice-president Wu Yi, businesswoman Ho Ching, and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

“In Florida, (immigration attorney Ralph) Pineda's clients include Dahianna Heard, a Venezuelan woman whose husband was shot last year by insurgents while he worked as a contractor in Iraq. The couple's son, who is a U.S. citizen, faces an uncertain future if his mother is deported.”

--An article from the Associated Press notes that more than eighty foreign-born widows are in danger of being deported from the U.S. due to their husbands’ death before immigration paperwork was approved.

The article highlights the case of Jacqueline Coats- an immigrant from Kenya- who is about to be deported after her U.S. citizen husband passed away last year trying to rescue two drowning kids.

Over the past week numerous anti-government protests have taken place across Latin America.Here are some of them:

Nearly 700 protesters were arrested in Chileas marchers clashed with police in the capital, Santiago(image).The protest yesterday was organized by the country’s main labor union against what it deemed as the “neoliberal model” still upheld by President Michele Bachelet.

Several groups opposed to Bolivian President Evo Morales called to “defend democracy” during protests in six of the country’s nine states on Tuesday.Some violence was reported as organizers urged people to stay home and shut down businesses.

Lastly, several hundred Argentines rode motorboats with protest banners along the Uruguay River as they expressed their anger at a controversial pulp mill soon to open near the river.Argentina’s government has joined environmentalists who allege that the Finnish-owned mill will greatly pollute the river which serves as a border between Argentina and Uruguay.

Problems have mounted in providing aid to survivors of Peru’s deadly August 15th earthquakes; thousands are living in squalor conditions as relief groups have run out of tents and blankets. A spokesman for Doctors Without Borders said that the situation is so dire that “it's like one day after the quake.” Complaints have grown against President Alan Garcia who has yet to deliver on a promised $1900 per homeowner.

In the midst of all those troubles Peruvian photographer Mario Testino said that he will raise money by auctioning an autographed photo of Princess Diana(image).The photo- which appeared in a 1997 issue of Vanity Fair- is appropriate to raise funds for Peru according to Testino:

“I have decided to auction an image of Diana to help the people in Peru because, for me, Diana went out of her way to help people.”

In the meantime, we continue to ask that you please contribute to the Peruvian aid efforts despite the problems mentioned above.Click here to find out how to donate to charities like CARE and the American Red Cross.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

“We were like the first to be cleaning all of the destruction up and all of the debris and all of the junk and all of the dirt and all of the mud…Now that there's hardly any work left, now they're arresting us all.”

--Isabel Aredo- a Peruvian immigrant in Biloxi, Mississippi- comments on the Latino immigrant influx to the Gulf States in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Two years after the storm ravaged New Orleans and several southeastern states, those areas are dealing with the consequences of thousands of immigrants that migrated to assist the reconstruction process.

(One recent QOTD looked at the impact of Latino immigrants on the cuisine in New Orleans).

Sources- The Clarion Ledger, Reuters, The Latin Americanist

Image- NPR(2005 image of “Jose Gandara and his partner (who) haul discarded refrigerators to the Jefferson Parrish landfill for $200 a day.”)

A candidate running for local office in Guatemala was killed in the latest example of political violence. Clara Luz Lopez- who was part of the political faction backing Rigoberta Menchu’s presidential bid- thus becomes one of approximately forty candidates or senior party officials murdered in Guatemalaaccording to The Telegraph.

Menchu- who won the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize- stopped her campaign due to low popularity and lack of funds.Yet with less than two weeks to go in the elections she criticized the violence that has gotten out of hand:

“It is not the first attack, nor is it the first (person) who loses his her life in this campaign…Encouraging violence leads to more violence.”

Center-left candidate Alvaro Colom continues leading the polls for the presidency though his 22% is far behind the majority needed to avoid a runoff.

Dominican singer Juan Luis Guerra led the nominations for this year's Latin Grammy Awards. In a ceremony this morning in Miami, Guerra was chosen five times including for album of the year and record of the year.

Not far behind him were Puerto Rican pop star Ricky Martin and hip-hop/reggaeton duo Calle 13 with four nods each.Other notables that were nominated include Miguel Bose, Zoë, Daddy Yankee, and Kinky.

Last week Guerra was announced as the winner of the Latin Grammy's Person of the Year award based on his music and charitable work.

A custody battle currently taking place in south Florida may possibly boil over like the affair over Elian Gonzalez in 1999 and 2000. However, the complexities of the case reveal a different story.

Cuban fisherman Rafael Izquierdo is in court seeking custody of his biological daughter who was taken legally to the U.S. in 2005 with his consent by her mother- Elena Perez.Shortly after, Perez attempted suicide and the state of Florida took custody of the girl.She would soon be adopted by Joe Cubas- a former sports agent who represented several Cuban defectors including Orlando “el Duque” Hernandez.

Cuban-American activist and attorney Pedro Freyre told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that the case will not be like the hullabaloo over Elian:

"It is being decided as Elian should have been ... instead of being decided in the streets of Miami," he said. "The fact pattern in this one is different, and it just got handled differently from the beginning."

The ardor of the Cuban exile community also appears to have cooled since the Elian case, Freyre said. That could be partly because of a generational shift, he said.

"We're all a little older and wiser and disconnected," said Freyre, who is not involved in this case.

In testimony yesterday the girl’s half-brother alleged that Perez was very physically abusive towards him and his siblings but also described Izquierdo as “not a bad guy.”

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

With rumors of Fidel Castro’s health buzzing about, we present the trailer for a controversial British documentary on him entitled “638 Ways to Kill Castro”. The 2006 film examined the many failed attempts by the C.I.A. to eliminate the Cuban leader in the near fifty years since the island's Revolution. The snippet from the film provides interesting insight into the post-Revolutionary relations between the U.S. and Cuba (video link):

The Colombian government has sought the extradition of an ex-Israel Defense Force officer convicted of training Colombian drug cartels in the 1980s. 61-year-old Yair Klein (image) wasarrested yesterday by Russian police at Moscow's Domodedovo airport and he awaits a ten year prison sentence after being tried in absentia six years ago.

“According to the existing information, Klein served a prison term for a similar crime in Sierra Leone in the 90s, but he managed to escape from the labor camp and to return to Israel. He took a job of a representative of a commercial firm there and often traveled abroad.

The Colombian law enforcement agencies submitted documents, which showed that Klein had been an instructor in illegal armed groups for some time. The Colombian court sentenced some of the mercenaries working with him to long prison terms, but Klein again managed to escape. After that the Colombian police appealed to Russia for help.”

Consumer advocates in the U.S. have raised concerns over the use of a possibly carcinogenic sweetener added to the Mexican version of Coca-Cola Zero.Despite a Federal Drug Administration ban against sodium cyclamate, Mexico overturned its ban on the chemical shortly before Coca-Cola Zero was launched there.

Blog Mark in Mexicodenounced the “anti-American lies, half truths, superstitions, myths and fables” against Coca-Cola Zero in Mexico. Yet severalMexicanbloggers have been alarmed over the use of sodium cyclamate in the drink:

"One Web site calls Coca-Cola Zero 'poison,' while another accuses Coke of using sodium cyclamate in Mexico because it is cheaper than other sweeteners."

Coca-Cola has been involved in other controversies in the Americas; the “Killer Coke” campaign protesting antiunion violence in Colombia has led to the banning of Coke products in several U.S. and British universities.

In yesterday’s “Daily Headlines” we mentioned how Puerto Rico’s governor called for the return of National Guard troops from Iraq.During an annual conference of the National Guard, Aníbal Acevedo Vilá said that:

Vilá’s comments may have been well-intentioned, but he may have some explaining to do after an investigation by El Diario/La Prensa showed that the Puerto Rican government is a major investor in DynCorp’s operations on the island.

DynCorp- one of the main private contractors in Iraq- was originally hired by the Puerto Rican government for “helicopter repairs” at the civilian airport in Aguadilla.Yet subsequent agreements between the Puerto Rican Ports Authority and DynCorp expanded the company’s role in Aguadilla for “repairing of military helicopters to then be donated by the U.S. Army” for operations in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq.Moreover, other documents showed that DynCorp has tried to hire “assessors” in Puerto Rico for work in the Middle East.

RafaelHernandezAirport used to cover part of Ramey Air Force Base, and is currently the “home base” to the U.S. Coast Guard and Puerto Rico Air National Guard.

Monday, August 27, 2007

“The astonishing thing here is that after the U.S. has tried for nearly 50 years to force a regime change in Cuba by way of economic embargo with no success whatsoever, Obama is one of the few presidential contenders who dares to suggest that it's time to try something different…The U.S. shouldn't lift all economic sanctions on Cuba until the island's regime makes progress on democracy and human rights, but policies such as the travel ban and limits on remittances are simply counterproductive. Score one for Obama.”

Approximately 1600 Colombians have escaped to neighboring Ecuador for almost a week as the civil conflict in their country has escalated.Though aid groups observed that the refugees are “scared and hungry”, they are having their basic needs met and immigration authorities are trying to sort how many refugees will stay in Ecuador.The number of refugees is expected to grow, according to the U.N.; thus adding to the over 250,000 displaced people already in Ecuador.

* The Peruvian and Venezuelan governments quarreled over the handing out of tuna cans with the faces of Hugo Chavez and Peruvian opposition leader Ollanta Humala (image).Peruvian president Alan Garcia deemed the aid as “electoral propaganda” though the Venezuelan ambassador to Peru denied that “party politics” were involved in earthquake assistance from Venezuela.

* In the meantime, the Peruvian government has backtracked from a promotion of the country’s most popular liquor- Pisco.The drink’s label was changed to “Pisco 7.9” (the magnitude of the quake) and was meant as gratitude for international aid.Yet the initiative was stopped after a flurry of public and media criticism, particularly from the city of Pisco which suffered more than 300 deaths and major damage after the tremors.

The mayors of the border towns of El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico joined to head a protest at a bridge spanning the Rio Grande.Despite what one organizer of the "Hands Across El Rio" demonstration dubbed as a “low turnout,” El Paso Mayor John Cook was proud of the historic embrace with Juarez Mayor Hector Murguia Lardizabal during the protest against U.S. government plans to build a barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border:

“Today is a historic day in the expression of friendship between two mayors, two cities and two countries. It is necessary for Washington and Mexico City to understand that our border doesn't separate us, it joins us.”

Both mayors join a long list of politicians, businessmen, and other leaders who have expressed their displeasure with the U.S. border fence plan.

Gonzales’ tenure as Attorney General had been filled with controversy over several issues like the accused partisan firing of eight federal attorneys and his staunch support of a warrentless domestic spying program.Bipartisan opposition to Gonzales had been growing over the past months and that has been reflected in reactions from several prominent Democrats and Republicans today:

“Better late than never."

-Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards

"I'm glad he's stepping down so the department can move forward with its important work."